


The Nightmares are Us

by Wing1020



Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Crack?, F/F, Inspiration from Kingdom Hearts, Loosely based on the setting of The Nightmare before Christmas, Other, Tony Stark Has A Heart, it's better than it sounds
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:53:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24276157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wing1020/pseuds/Wing1020
Summary: I grew up watching The Nightmare before Christmas and always thought the monsters were cool. I got a small idea to use the setting of the  movie and dropped it on my two favorite characters (Wanda and Peter). I don't know whether to consider this fic crack or not because i plan on taking this seriously (lol). It's better if you read it and see for yourself if you like it.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes & Wanda Maximoff, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Wanda Maximoff & Peter Parker, Wanda Maximoff & Tony Stark, Wanda Maximoff/Natasha Romanov
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	The Nightmares are Us

**Author's Note:**

> I tried tha's all I'm going to say...

“What the fuck Peter! How are we gonna get back home?”

“Hey it wasn’t my fault you followed me!”

Wanda rubbed her forehead in annoyance, “That’s because I was worried about you. My senses just felt off.”

“Which one, your witch or wolf senses cuz at times I don’t know which one is better”.

“Me either, but what about yours?”. Peter turned to point a finger at Wanda, “Hey- “

“Who goes there?”

Both monsters ducked when they heard a voice. The duo hid in some bushes as a person walked by, presumably the night guard of the forest they were currently in. Wanda groaned as she tried to remember how they got themselves into this mess.

-.-.-.-.-.-

Wanda woke up to the sun shining on her face. It was bright, too bright in fact. Her curtains should’ve covered any light coming in, so why were they pulled open? Sniffing the air, she smelled someone else was in her and Bucky’s house. A certain rag doll was using the kitchen. Pouting she walked towards the kitchen, and surprise surprise, the one occupying it was Peter. Rag doll was a term the creatures in the town used for beings like him but in the outer world his type were considered Frankenstein. Was that the right word? Wanda could care less. They were called like that because of their skinny and pale appearance; don’t be fooled, they were smart, had superhuman strength and at times had senses that could rival a witch or werewolf, though they are scaredy cats.

Peter on his part was too busy to notice Wanda coming down the stairs. He had arrived earlier just as Bucky left. Something about meeting up with the other wolves for who knows what. Peter had a list for him from Tony, saying Bucky owes him a favor and to get him those ingredients. Bucky had grumbled and waved at Peter before transforming into a wolf and running off.

Peter was trying to make some breakfast but his stiches had come loose and his hand ended up falling in the batter. Now his hand was full of batter and leaves that fell out of him, while struggling to clean his hand he felt shivers run down his spine, which contradicted the voice in his head telling him it was safe. Peter turned around with his hand in hand as a weapon but only found Wanda.

She blinked at him, then swatted his hand away, “First you break into my house then get scared seeing me here?”. Peter ticked at her and continued washing his hand, “I didn’t break into the house, Bucky let me in, which I should remind you is also his house and I wasn’t scared just surprised. Help me out will you. Washing something with one hand is kinda difficult”. Wand huffed, still, she washed his hand and gave it back to him while pulling out some string. “You need to find something stronger to hold you together, has Tony thought up of something?”

“No but I also told him not to worry about it so that’s probably why he’s not working on anything”, Seeing the frown Wanda was giving him Peter attempted to defend himself, “I’m practically immortal if you think about it. As long as my heart and brains are intact then I’ll be fine”

“You forget that you still have actual blood in you or how do you think your brain, heart and other organs function. The leaves are just a defense mechanism to keep the blood in you. Once the leaf barriers spill out then you’ll be vulnerable to blood loss if attacked. And I know it stings to stich your body back together, we’ve been friends for 4 years so don’t deny it”. Peter sighed as he finished stitching his hand back up. He could never lie to Wanda even if he wanted to, she always knew when he was lying, damn her heritage. “I know. This is getting too sad now, let’s eat”

“Hate to break it to you Peter but the batter isn’t good anymore”. Peter took a glance at the batter he was working on and wondered what was wrong. “It has some leaves in it, other than that it’s still salvageable”. Wanda grimaced as she picked up a leaf from the bowl, “I don’t know if you noticed but some of these have blood on them”. Peter stared closely and realized Wanda was right. It wasn’t noticeable from far; closely though you could see that droplets of his blood had fallen into the batter. “In that case, do you have anything else we can make?”

Wanda shook her head, “No, I was going to go to the market and buy stuff. Why aren’t you home anyway?”

“Tony had given me a list to bring Bucky. He was going to give it to him himself but made me do it. You know he’s not a fan of sunlight especially when he doesn’t have his sunscreen on”. Wanda nodded remembering the first time he had met the vampire. Him and Peter moved in the town years ago.

Tony had snuck up on Wanda while she watered plants and accidently sprayed him, making the sunscreen wash away. To say first impressions weren’t good on either side was an understatement. Add that to the fact that she lived with Bucky; apparently, Tony and Bucky were old rivals, like hundred years old rivals. Thankfully her and Peter became close which made the older two have a truce. However, after the incident Wanda helped Tony create sunscreen that was waterproof.

“He can be dramatic at times”. Wanda grabbed her satchel whilst heading towards the entrance with Peter following. “That’s Tony for you”. When they were outside Wanda locked the door. She took a couple steps back and casted a spell. Red wisps appeared in her hands and eyes. Peter had no idea what she was doing but as quickly as it appeared it left. “Can you get my wallet, I left it inside”. Peter warily walked to the house and only took a couple steps before smashing into an invisible red wall. Holding his nose, he turned to glare at Wanda, “I knew you were going to do this”.

Wanda knew his glare held no malice and found only amusement. She smirked at him before walking off. Peter catched up to her and strolled in pace. “If you knew then why would you walk head in first?”. Peter shrugged. “It’s better than the one last time where it wavered. Those books come in handy?”

“Yeah, I would prefer it if the witches or warlocks in our town helped me”. When both her twin and her were born they were one of each. Pietro was born a wolf while she was a witch. The cases of hybrids were low since all the ones she’s read about ended up with the hybrids only living up to a few months after they were born.

Wolf maturity is reached between 11 and 14; Pietro reached his at 11. What nobody expected was for Wanda to reach it at 13 or at all. The wolf genes were supposed to be wiped out by her witch genes, yet they managed to merge. She recalls the faces on her parents face when showing them her fangs. Both had a look of shock and after a few moments managed to get themselves together.

Word had gotten out that she was a hybrid. The wolves and witches weren’t happy. More so the witches than the wolves. The wolves were more worried of a battle happening. The same couldn’t be said about the witches. They felt that Wanda was tainted and filthy which angered the wolves at their words. It went on for a while until it reached a peak.

A fire had started in the middle of the night. That fire had cost the life of her family. She remembers being saved by a wolf. Wanda was left all alone since she had no other relatives. The witches weren’t willing to accept her into their group so she was passed of to the wolves, who didn’t mind. Someone had to be with her though and the one to step up was the wolf who had saved her, Bucky. To Wanda he was like a friend and the uncle she never had.

Bucky had taught her how to shift into her wolf form. Wanda would be lying if she said it didn’t hurt because that shit hurt like a motherfucker. She could hear her bones crack with every shift and would take her a few minutes to transform to both wolf and human. Bucky told her that it was natural, and as time went by, she’ll be able to shift instantly and lessen the pain. Of course, she needs to do it constantly in order to be comfortable with it. But what about her witch side?

No one was willing to teach her or even give a word of advice. New witches who arrived at the town would say hello and make conversation but the next day ignore her like the plague. Wanda didn’t really understand what the big deal was. Okay she has some wolf blood in her however she still considered herself part witch.

“Those books only explain the basics, I stopped relying on them some time ago. Now it’s just a matter of test and run, and hoping nothing backfires”. Peter nodded, he felt bad, Wanda didn’t deserve to be ignored by her own kind. The wolves took it well so why can’t the witches. To him witches are stuck up beings, well the ones who live in their town. Just because they could do things that are scientifically impossible doesn’t give them a right to act like they are the strongest beings. He had told Wanda how he felt about the witches and she tried to defend them saying not every witch is the same. Of course, he agreed on that but every witch who comes to live in their town becomes distasteful towards Wanda. Peter smirked as a thought popped into his head. The witches probably acted like that because Wanda is twice as powerful than them. What her witch skills lack in she’s able to make it up with her wolf side.

“Penny for your thoughts?”. Wanda glanced at Peter while walking down the streets of the town. Seeing him smirk out the nowhere was kinda weird. “If you want to find out then read my mind”. Wanda sighed. The first time she tried mind reading ended up bad. Wanda was 16 while Peter had turned 13. They had been friends for a year so the trust was there. Peter told her she could try reading his mind for practice. The duo waited until Bucky was gone to try it.

Let’s just say it wounded up with both of them getting amnesia for 3 months before their memory came back. After that she was hesitant to even try it again. After getting convinced by Peter, Bucky and even Tony did she try again. So many things went wrong over the years. The most Wanda could do was read someone’s mind within 11 seconds before something goes wrong. Don’t get her wrong she has a lot of magic the problem is how to distribute it, and make it work with her wolf rather than them fighting for attention.

“I’ll only do that when I’m desperate. And I’m kinda traumatized after seeing that sea creature’s mind”. Wanda shuddered as images appeared in her head. “Oh yeah, I remember you barging in to Tony’s house while I was eating. Thanks to you I lost my appetite that day”.

“Be grateful I didn’t use my magic to show you. I know it’s a natural thing but the things they were imagining was on a whole other level. If sea creatures have sex like that then what about when they want to get even more frisky”. Peter covered his ears wanting to forget Wanda’s word, “La la la la la la I can’t hear you”. Wanda playfully rolled her eyes as they reached the market. She took out a small leather note book and ripped out a piece of paper, “We’ll split the items in half. You take those and I’ll get these. Once you’re done with your half take them to the house or they’re gonna go to waste especially in this heat. Wear this necklace, I put a spell on it, it’ll allow you to enter the house”. Wanda grabbed a mini bag filled with coins and gave it to Peter. “Buy something for yourself if you want, I’m sure it’ll be enough”.

Peter nodded and went on his way. He looked at the list and started with items closest to him. After a while Peter checked his list one more time before he left.

_Eggs? ✔Scorpion eggs?✔_

_Milk?✔ Goat milk?✔_

_3 Frog legs?✔_

_5 pounds of hog meat?✔_

_5 pounds of deer meat?✔_

_5 pounds of steak?✔ Peter wondered if this was all the meat but knowing Bucky and Wanda they preferred to hunt and probably had a whole animal stuffed away._

_Scary Berry ice cream?✔_

_Worms?✔_

_Spider?✔_

_Chocolate?✔_

_Snakes?✔_

_Butter fingers?✔_

_Pigs brain?✔_

Peter had money left like how Wanda said. He could get grasshopper pie but he wasn’t really in the mood for something salty. Caramel apple? Nah too sweet and they weren’t in season until October which was 2 months away, so the ones now probably didn’t taste as good. In the end he decided to go with cheesecake. Thankfully he got the last eyeball cheesecake and failed to hide his smile as the creatures behind him glared holes through him. Triumphally he walked back to the house.

When Peter arrived at the house, he put the items in their right components. Minutes went by and he started to wonder what was taking Wanda so long. If the point of dividing the list was to get it done fast then why hadn’t she arrived? While sitting on the counter he heard the door open,” What took you long? We should’ve been done at the same time”. Wanda placed the boxes on the counter, “I was making conversation with the vendors”. Peter helped Wanda take out the contents when he noticed dry blood on the back of her neck. “You have blood on you”

Wanda didn’t blink an eye and started making breakfast, “A warlock threw a fire ball at me”. Peter frowned knowing she was hiding something, “This is the first time its happened. Anything else?”

“Not really. I was halfway here when I felt my wolf senses tingle, it felt like someone was following me, I only managed to dodge enough to get a scrape on the side of my neck”

“That looks more like a burn; then?”

“Well the Warlock told me a few words before disappearing, didn’t even have the balls to face me”. Peter helped Wanda by making scorpion omelet while she made chocolate pancakes and a bug smoothie. “What did he say?”

“The usual, that I should’ve died along with my family. Hand me some goat milk”. Peter opened the refrigerator and gave her milk. “You should’ve fought back or at least try to attack him”. Wanda complained at the idea, “Yeah and then have him spread lies about me attacking him out of the nowhere?”

“You know the town won’t believe those lies”. Wanda swallowed hard in order to keep herself from letting a tear fall, “I don’t want the witches or warlocks to have more reasons to hate me”. Peter understood how Wanda felt to a certain extent. Each species wants to be true to themselves. If his own kind despised him one day, it would leave him heartbroken. “Today is not a good start for either of us. How about we go bother Tony later?”. Wanda gave Peter a small nod and continued making pancakes.

-.-.-.-.-.-

Walking into the house Peter called out to Tony, “Toooonnnnyyy! We’re home”. No answer. Wanda sniffed the air, “He’s upstairs”. Peter trailed after Wanda, “I wish my sense of smell was strong like that”. He tried sniffing the air but pouted after not being able to smell anything other than the aroma of the house. Wanda lightly laughed, “Eh it has it’s down sides”

“Like?”

“Imagine when you smell someone who is sweaty or stinks. Multiply that times 5”. Peter shuddered as they opened the door into the lab. Surprisingly the windows were open allowing the sun to light up the whole room. Tony usually didn’t have the all the windows open in the evening so it felt weird.

In the corner Tony was writing on a board with his back facing them. Peter tried to get the jump on him but fell flat on the floor. On the other side of the room stood Tony drinking a red substance from a wine glass. “Nice try kid better luck next time”. He saw Wanda sit on a stool by his desk and took another sip, “Looks like someone was hurt”. Wanda touched the part of her neck that was burned and only felt a tiny scratch; good thing she can heal quickly. Peter hopped on the counter and sat next to Wanda, “A warlock threw a fireball at her”. Tony raised an eyebrow at Wanda, “And you didn’t attack him?”

“No though he did run away before I could do anything”. Tony huffed and went back to his blueprints on the board, “You can keep up with a vampire so I’m sure a warlock would’ve been child’s play”. Wanda didn’t feel like talking about it so she changed the subject, “Is Thor gone?”. Tony let it go this time. But he was going to tell Bucky when he came back tomorrow with his list of items. “Yeah there was a bounty back home that he couldn’t just pass by, something related about his step brother. I don’t know, said he’ll visit next month”.

At that same time a ghost crow flew in. In his claws was an envelope. Taking the letter from the crow, Tony opened it up. Peter tilted his head at Tony as he read the contents, “Who is it?”

“Pepper”

Wanda perked up at hearing the name. 2 years ago, she found out who Pepper was. Tony told her it was someone he had been seeing for years way before meeting Peter. Apparently, Bucky and Peter already knew about her. Wanda didn’t really care until he mentioned that Pepper was a human.

Humans and fantasy beings weren’t enemies or the best of friends. Most humans became bounty hunters and would do anything for money, even killing. Tony and Bucky stated that not everything was black and white. Peter and Wanda wouldn’t know since they haven’t ever made contact with any human before. So, when Wanda heard Pepper was a human she immediately began to worry for Tony. He reassured her saying he’s lived hundreds of years and he can handle it. She asked him why didn’t Pepper visit then, which he responded that they were both busy with their own things. Wanda still felt sketchy but after Tony had told her, he started to speak more often about Pepper to the 3 of them. Seeing Tony smile made the worry lessen. He’s lived a long time so she had to trust him, however fear laid hidden in the back of her mind.

“What did she say?”

“She wants to meet up in the city tomorrow”

The city? Wanda’s heard of it but it was almost on the other side of the map. You would need to cross a lot of land to get there. It was one of the places where both humans and creatures, as long as the creatures bought a special potion to hide their characteristics, reside in but it also had the highest kill rate of both species. In other words, not the safest place.

“I still need to finish the blueprints for the mayor or he’ll have my head-“.

“Mr. Tony”

Peter screamed and jumped off the counter while Wanda lightly growled at the small voice next to them. Perched on the counter sat a black cat. Tony approached the cat with crossed arms, “What does the mayor want now?”

“He asked for you to meet him now for a meeting”

Tony sighed as he gathered his blueprints, “Can you give me a hint on what it’s about?”

“He wouldn’t say, others are going as well. I’m sure he’s going to send y’all on a hunt for some stuff”

“Alright I’ll be there in a few”. And just like that the cat was gone. Peter scratched his head staring at the same spot where the cat sat before turning to Tony, “Do you know when you’ll be back?”

“If the cat’s right then around the morning tomorrow. Though I’ll be back to freshen up a bit before leaving for the city. Sorry you guys”. Wanda gave him a small smile, “It’s fine, you should hurry or the mayor will bust his head”. Tony smirked at that and carried his bag down the stairs with the duo trailing after, “Bucky’s not here, so don’t go out at night alright?”

After seeing the two nod he opened the door, “Oh and make sure not to get into too much trouble this time okay?”. Wanda rolled her eyes and ushered him out the door, “Don’t worry too much we’ll be fine, bye”. Once the door shut, she strolled to couch and laid on it.

Peter still stood by the door which led her to believe he was lost in his mind, “What is it Peter?”. Snapping out of his thoughts Peter sat on the smaller couch, “I have an idea on what we could do”. Wanda studied him before facing the other way, “No”

“You haven’t even heard what I was going to say”

Wanda turned to face him again, “Something dumb I bet. Let’s hear it”. Peter played with his fingers as he thought of the right words to say, “I want to meet Pepper”. And there it is. “No”. Wanda closed her eyes and tried to get some sleep but knowing Peter he wouldn’t relent. “Come on Wanda I know you want to as well”. She kept her eyes closed in hope that Peter would drop the subject.

“Wandaaaaa”

“If she hasn’t come to our town then she doesn’t want to meet us”. Peter frowned. She had a point but their town wasn’t too keen on humans in their area. “Our town is kinda old fashioned. They don’t allow humans here so that’s why they probably meet somewhere else”.

Wanda exhaled; Peter wasn’t giving up. “And how do you suppose we meet her then? Tony mentioned she lived in the city. That’s like on the other side of the map”. Peter started pacing around the living room in thought. How was Tony planning on getting there by tomorrow? Even he’s not that fast, unless. “What if there’s a secret passage?”

Opening her eyes Wanda gave Peter a questioning look, “A secret passage? Where?”. Peter ran up to Tony’s study room. Him and Tony don’t’ have many secrets but there were certain things they didn’t tell each other; this was one of them. Wanda leaned against the door as she watched Peter scurry around the room, flipping through desks and books. “We shouldn’t be in here, he’s gonna get mad”. Peter wasn’t paying to a word Wanda said and continued rummaging around Tony’s stuff. She went back to the sofa to sleep; there was no point talking to Peter when he’s set on something.

Peter spent hours searching for anything that could help him. He was positive that there was a passage in town. Tony had slipped on his words a few months back about a door; if he could just remember where. He was on the edge of giving up when he turned to a certain page in a book. Book in hand he ran downstairs and almost tripped over himself. He found Wanda sleeping peacefully on the sofa. Peter debated whether to wake her up or not. Choosing the lesser of evils, he shook her awake.

Said girl pouted at being disturbed, “What is it?”. Peter chuckled at hearing her accent deepen. “I think I found it, look”. Wanda stared at the picture and writing on the page. It showed doors in the forest behind the cemetery. The book stated that the doors led to different parts of the world. She got a bad feeling about this. “We should leave this alone”. Peter’s face fell. “Why?”

“We don’t know exactly where they end up on. And how are you coming back? I don’t know if you read right but the writing states that these are a one-way passage meaning once you go through, you’ll have to find another way to get back”. Peter sighed and sat on the sofa. Maybe there was another way. The sun was setting and nearing night. “You’re right”. Wanda was taken back at his confession. Usually it takes a lot to convince him of something. Noticing her stare Peter explained, “I guess I just wanted to get out of town and used visiting Pepper as an excuse. But if it’s only one way then I don’t know what to do”. He abruptly got up and headed upstairs. “I’m sleeping in early you can go home if you want”

Seeing Peter’s sullen face made Wanda feel bad. She understood what he meant. There were times that she wanted to experience life outside town; the problem was that she’s so used to living here that it felt wrong to leave. Wanda went back home in order to find a way to relax, today was rough.

-.-.-.-.-.-

Peter wasn’t lying when saying that he was heading to bed. He checked the clock and saw that he only slept for an hour and a half. Staring at the book in his hand he decided to pack a satchel. Curiosity got the better of him. Peter wasn’t sure what to pack so he just put in whatever he thought he needed. After getting everything, he walked to the cemetery.

Most humans, even monsters, found cemeteries scary and haunted. He could agree on the haunted part but not scary. Wanda and him would come to the cemetery to talk and destress. It looked beautiful at night with the stars shining bright. While walking through the cemetery he felt a shiver again like this morning. Peter jogged faster and gazed at the cemetery as he reached the edge of the forest. Nothing seemed suspicious, yet he couldn’t fight off the shivers crawling around as if someone, something, was eyeing him.

In the back of his mind he had wished he made Wanda come with him. But if something went wrong then she wouldn’t be in trouble. Peter knew she could protect herself but it doesn’t mean he wants her to be in danger. The forest got quiet as he kept walking. No noise was never a good thing. All that was to be heard was his breathing and to a certain extent his heart. The moon illuminated enough so he didn’t crash into anything. Minutes later he found what he had been looking for. There was a circle of trees with doors on them. Each door sported a different shape, thankfully on top of the doors was some writing. Reading the writing he realized none of them seemed familiar except for one. The city. The door looked like a plain white door with a golden knob. Opening the door to the tree he found pitch darkness.

Peter was too baffled by his discovery that he didn’t pay attention to the giant figure with four legs approach him from behind. He was about to step in when suddenly he got pulled back. The monster had tugged on his shirt with their mouth, dragging him a few inches away from the door. Peter tried pulling his shirt off from whatever had a grab on him and felt a snout. Opening his eyes, he took a good look and stared directly into its eyes only to find green with red specks on them. He knew of one wolf to have red in their eyes, “What are you doing here Wanda?”

Wanda had rose brown fur; from what Bucky told him her dad’s wolf form was brown which added to why witches felt she was tainted. On four legs she stood at roughly 5’6 which was the same height for her human form. Wanda set Peter down and started to shift. Her first transformation had taken her minutes with how uncomfortable it had been now all she just needs a few seconds, though a bit of the pain still lingered. Wanda shuddered as she felt the breeze on her skin, she only had on a bra and underwear. She snapped her fingers and her clothes came back. A satchel had appeared as well by Wanda’s feet. “The real question is what are you doing here?”. Peter dusted the dirt off his clothes as he rose. “Going to the city. Look at this”. Leading Wanda to the door he showed her the inside.

“It’s so dark in there”. The duo popped their head in trying to see better. “I know it doesn’t look like it ends”. Wanda placed her hand on the floor but only felt air, “Doesn’t have a floor either, Peter we should head back”

“You’re wearing your satchel, as if you were ready for an adventure. Did you come here to stop or accompany me?”. Wanda rubbed the back of her neck not giving a response. “That’s what I thoug-“

All of a sudden Peter felt a strong gust of wind pulling him in. He fell in but Wanda managed to grab onto him. She had one hand on his shirt and the other on the edge of the door. On a normal basis she would’ve been able to pull him out, yet the wind was pulling both Peter and Wanda in. Her hand slipped which caused both to go in. It felt as if they were falling through air and blacked out.

-.-.-.-.-.-

Wanda was the first to wake up. Sitting up she rubbed her eyes and froze. Peter laid next to her still out. She shook Peter hard, “Pete, Peter. Wake up”. Peter groaned as he sat up, looking around he realized they weren’t in their forest. The forest surrounding their town was made up of dead trees, this forest though had a lot of green. Nervously he laughed, “I guess we aren’t in town anymore”. Wanda inhaled trying to keep calm, “Please tell me you at least brought the book so we can figure something out”. The only response she got was silence.

“What the fuck Peter! How are we gonna get back home?”

“Hey it wasn’t my fault you followed me!”

Wanda rubbed her forehead in annoyance, “That’s because I was worried about you. My senses just felt off.”

“Which one, your witch or wolf senses cuz at times I don’t know which one is better”.

“Me either, but what about yours?”. Peter turned to point a finger at Wanda, “Hey- “

“Who goes there?”

Both monsters ducked when they heard a voice. The duo hid in some bushes as a person walked by, presumably the night guard of the forest they were currently in. Wanda groaned as she remembered the normal day they were having, well half normal. She used her telepathic powers to talk to Peter

 _‘You okay?’,_ Peter nodded, _’Now what?’._ Wanda thought of ideas but came empty. Their only option was to go see Pepper. And then they’ll see where they go from there. _‘Do you have any idea where Pepper lives, anything at all?’_

Peter searched through his satchel and took out a letter and gave it to Wanda. She read the date of the letter which stated that it was from last year. In the letter Pepper wrote that she was permanently moving to a new building with her friends. The letter also included the address. But they don’t know their way around the city. Glancing between the human guard and the letter she came up with an idea. _‘Stay put we don’t know if he’s dangerous’_

_‘What are you gonna do’_

_‘Ask him for directions’_

Peter scowled at Wanda, _‘He could have a tranquilizer or something to weaken you. I’ll go too’_

_‘No, I look the most human and I can hide the wolf fangs with my magic. You have stitches and are pale; boy you basically look like you rose from the dead’_

_‘Alright I’ll keep in the shadows then’_

Wanda came out from the bushes and headed towards the man. “Excuse me”. The guard quickly aimed a gun at her. Wanda barely managed to keep her cool, “Um I’m sorry, I got lost and I need directions”. The guard lowered his gun after noticing how scared she looked, “No problem kid, you new?”. She nodded, “Yeah I was supposed to meet up with a friend but I got side tracked”. He smiled as he took out his tracker, “Do you remember the address?”

“Its XXXXX XXXXX”. The guard put his tracker away at hearing the address, “Actually that place is on the other side of the forest, please follow me”, Wanda trailed after the park while motioning for Peter to silently follow. Minutes later the guard led her to the opening of the forest, “See that building?”. How could she not, it was the tallest and cleanest compared to the others. Plus, they had a gate and a yard. “The most popular bounty hunters live there”. Wanda hid her scowl and acted impressed, “Really? That’s cool. Are they nice people?”

The guard nodded, “Yup, they mostly hunt criminals or creatures that have gone out of control”. She wondered what counted as creatures going ‘out of control’ but didn’t ask. The guard went back into the park after she thanked him. _‘You can come out’_. Peter came out of the shadows carrying both their satchels. “Did you find the place?”. Taking back her bag she pointed to the building in front of her.

Peter gaped at the building, “Well that was easy. Almost looks like a mansion. How do we get in?”. Wanda disabled her magic so her fangs weren’t hidden anymore, it was uncomfortable hiding them. “Maybe we should just enter”. The duo crossed the street and opened the gate. They took in the sight while walking up the stairs. The door was made of glass and unlocked. Peter opened the door and saw another guard at a desk. He made eye contact with Wanda and whispered, “Do we go by him or?”

“We should ask him about Pepper”. Wanda and Peter approached the desk. The old guard stared at each of them, his eyes lingering on Peter longer than he liked. “Does a woman name Pepper live here?”

“Who’s asking?”

“Peter and Wanda”. The guard held up a finger as he picked up the phone to call upstairs. Meanwhile Peter leaned into Wanda, “What if she doesn’t know us?”

“I’m sure Tony’s written a lot about us, we’re kinda like his own”. Peter grinned at that, “We’re the only ones to approach Tony other teenagers are too scared. Talking about teenagers, you’re about to turn 20 in a month”. Wanda rolled her eyes as they waited for any confirmation. “Yes ok, I’ll send them up”. The guard put the phone down and pointed to an elevator, “Hit the button to the highest floor”. Thanking the man, they walked into the elevator and went up. Peter was bouncing with excitement, finally they were about to meet Pepper, a human, he’s only seen pictures and heard about her form Tony, he hopes she’s the same in real life. On the other hand, Wanda was freaking out. Neither Bucky or Tony knew that they were gone and would be back the next day. Wait how does time even work? What if it was already morning in their town? Now that she thinks about it, how long were they passed out? When they left it was night time and when they woke up it was night as well. All the consequences started seeping in as the elevator door opened.

Standing there was a blonde hair woman. The older woman pulled them both in a hug, “Nice to finally meet you two, take a seat”. She led them to a large sofa and had them sit, “Is there anything I can get you?” Both monsters shook their heads from side to side, Pepper sat across and waited for one of them to speak. Thankfully Peter stuck his hand out, “Hi I’m Peter”. Pepper smiled and shook hands with him, “I’ve heard about you from Tony. Sorry I couldn’t meet you sooner, but your town isn’t to keen on humans even stepping foot there”.

“Yeah, I heard a human came in to town one day and ended up being the melting man’s meal. I promise not everyone is like that”. Pepper nodded and held her hand out towards Wanda. Shaking it nervously, Wanda gave a small toothy smile, “And I’m Wanda”

“Tony told me you’re special. A hybrid of sorts. Werewolf and?”. Wanda hesitated to answer. She wondered what Tony had told the woman. Seeing Wanda hesitate made Pepper back track, “I didn’t mean to pry. Tony talks about the 2 of you in his letters or when he visits. My friends who live here don’t know and I don’t plan on telling them”. It was weird but Peter and Wanda felt as if they could trust the woman in front of them. “I’m a werewolf and witch hybrid”.

“Wow that must be rough”. With that sentence Wanda knew that she knew about how she was being treated by the witches and warlocks back home. Damn you Tony. Peter nodded at Pepper’s words, “Yeah just recently she got attacked”. Wanda punched Peter’s shoulder, “It was more of a graze”. Peter pouted muttering that she hits too hard. “If I got a fireball thrown at me from behind then I’d call that an attack”. Pepper agreed with Peter’s statement, “That sounds like a cheap shot too, did you get even?”

Wanda groaned, “You sound like Tony”. Pepper perked at hearing her partner’s name, “Talking about Tony does he know you’re here?”. The duo suddenly found the floor and wall very interesting. It was obvious to Pepper that their answer was No. “Not that I hate you being here but shouldn’t you head back so you won’t worry them”. Them? Peter frowned but realized she must have been talking about Bucky too. Wanda nervously played with her fingers, “The problem is that the way we came from was a one-way passage and now we don’t know how to get back”. Pepper had just met the two and already she was worrying like a mother hen, “Did you leave a note or something to tell of your whereabouts?”. Peter shook his while Wanda said yes. “Before I left, I wrote a note to Bucky that we went to the city using the door in the wood and to ask Tony for questions. I was in a rush to catch up to this guy”.

“Wait how did you know I was going to the forest?”. Wanda smirked and pointed to the necklace around Peter’s neck, “I put another spell on the necklace and connected it to your house. Once you set foot outside the house I was immediately alerted. After, I sniffed you out and followed you in my wolf form”. Peter gawked at Wanda, “That explains the feeling I had of being watched in the cemetery. My senses were telling me to run away or hide. I don’t know if I should be impressed or mad at the fact that you did that”. Wanda shrugged, “Hey you would be lost right now so a thank you is great too”.

Pepper hated to interrupt but saw the time on the wall, it read 5:14am, “I know I asked this before but would y’all like something to eat? Both of you must be hungry”. The duo looked each other as if they were silently communicating; Peter was the first to answer, “Sure”. Pepper led them to the kitchen and had the two sit at the table, “What do you two want to eat?”. Peter shrugged, “I’m fine with anything, whether it’s raw or cooked”.

“And you Wanda?”

“Whatever is fine too”. Pepper opened the fridge and took out salmon her and the others had caught, “Do you want it raw or cooked?”. Wanda shyly scratched her cheek, “Usually me and Bucky eat both cooked and raw at the same time. We like both so it gets hard to decide”. Pepper nodded and left one to the side. Wanda felt bad and started to get up, “Do you need help Ms. Pepper?”. Peter got up as well, “Yeah it’s your home, Ms. Pepper we should at least help”. Pepper motioned for the two to sit down, which they did, “Since it’s my house then I should be a good host and treat my guests and call me Pepper”. Wanda was about to relax when she smelled people approaching the building, “There’s 5 people aside from the guard in the first floor”. Pepper stopped cooking to look at Wanda and Peter, “It’s probably the others, don’t worry. Although Wanda you’re going to have to pick”

Peter knew what Pepper meant, “If you want to hide being a hybrid then you have to pick between werewolf or witch. Your fangs are already out and you feel uncomfortable hiding it so might as well go with the obvious choice”. Wanda moaned at having to pick between the two. She loved both but if she didn’t want her secret out then werewolf it is, sorry mom. Maybe if these humans were trusty enough she could tell them. “Werewolf it is then”.

She smelled them getting closer and started to tense. Peter sensed Wanda’s tension and began to feel the same. Unbeknown to Pepper, the duo were ready to defend themselves, attack if necessary. It may sound stupid being scared of humans but one can’t get too cocky. The stories the townsfolk told them about what humans did disgusted them. They weren’t monsters who easily judged; yet they couldn’t help the fear that the town had installed in them of humans, even Tony’s and Bucky’s words were starting to do no good.

They heard the elevator door open and hoped for the best.


End file.
